


The Brightening Future

by PhoenixCat



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 06:17:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18114992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixCat/pseuds/PhoenixCat
Summary: In the aftermath of Ichika's graduation party, Hide, Touka, and Kaneki get a chance to look back. Through the lens of the past, the future can be pieced together.Part of the Tokyo Ghoul Reverse Bang





	The Brightening Future

The digital photo album Banjo had insisted on giving them for their wedding sat on the coffee table in front of Kaneki. He realized he’d been staring at the screensaver for a while when Touka came over with two steaming mugs of black coffee, handing him one as she set the other down on the coffee table. The duo had never quite gotten used to the Ghoul-safe synthetic coffee additives. She retreated back to the kitchen to grab one for Hide, complete with a touch of milk and sugar. Undoubtedly, it’d be slightly too bitter for the blonde. She returned with the mug and Hide offered her his thanks. He’d been so busy staring at Kaneki and letting the party’s afterglow flow over him that he hadn’t realized how tired he was.  
Ichika, Kaneki and Touka’s daughter, had left with some friends for the evening. Her graduation party had been a touch wilder than they’d thought was possible. Various paper cups and plates lay on the multiple surfaces in their house, stray plastic utensils laying uselessly either upon the plates or forgotten on the floor. Hide was the only remaining party guest and it seemed like he might be staying the night at this point. None of them had the energy to start cleaning just yet, however. Instead, they gathered around the coffee table, clustered upon the plush couch.  
Kaneki’s gaze fell back to the digital photo album, which was cycling through all the photos they’d stored on it. It had just passed over a picture of Hide wearing his silly little emoji mask, his eyes closed in mirth, his head cocked ever so slightly to the side, and holding up a little V made by his index and middle fingers for the camera.  
“Hard to believe this day’s actually here, isn’t it?” Touka asked.  
“Yeah. I’m so proud of her it’s like my heart’s going to explode,” Kaneki said, a tiny chuckle making its way out of his mouth. Hide felt his somewhat regenerated facial muscles pull phantom lips upward. It was encouraging to see Kaneki this happy—yes, he was tired, but seeing that smile coupled with that chuckle made it feel like everything he’d sacrificed was worth it.  
Touka sipped her coffee and smiled back. A moment passed, another hot on its heels as Touka reached for the digital album on the coffee table. “She’s not here to be embarrassed by a few oldsters looking over the good ol’ days and cooing about how cute she was when she was little—and still is.” She noticed she’d nearly spilled her coffee during her attempt to grab the photo album and elected to set her mug down before trying again.  
Once she’d gotten a decent hold on it, Touka flipped through the photos before settling on one of her favorite shots. She’d commended Banjo on it when he’d taken it. It was from their New Year’s party, right after the Dragon War ended, a breath of fresh air before they moved on to their real jobs.

 

The New Year’s party was at Tsukiyma’s summer home, which the Ghoul had insisted was modest, though his definition of the word was vastly different from anything any of the attendees would have assumed he meant, unless they thought about his background. Most of the human attendees were more than a little apprehensive at the idea of going to a party hosted by a Ghoul, let alone the infamous Gourmet. Granted with the onset of a new Ghoul-human peace treaty, they wanted to at least keep true to form, even if they were still anxious around Tsukiyama. He’d never actually harm them, not with Kaneki there to keep him about as even-keeled as he could be. Just the same, Quinques were checked at the door and kept in a spare bedroom. The budding trust between humans and Ghouls was still trying to take a deeper root in the hearts and minds of both sides. It was that shaky level of trust that made the former CCG agents require the attending Ghouls to take RC blockers for the duration of the evening.  
Hide’s arrival in tandem with Marude at the Tsukiyama’s summer home was announced by none other than Tsukiyama himself. Hide’s first impression of the mansion’s interior was that it was well-kept and secure enough to give the attendees a sense of safety. The entryway was spacious, boasting a vaulted ceiling and a large crystal and gold chandelier. The hard wood flooring had been stained to a deep, dark brown color. A growing collection of shoes by the door indicated that, while the owner was quite alright with having several potentially rowdy adults of both species in his home, he’d rather not have his staff clean up unnecessary mud splotches. To be completely fair, they’d probably have enough to deal with after the party, anyway. Hide removed his shoes and left them amongst the others as Tuskiyama guided Marude to the spare bedroom temporarily housing Quinques. Hide noticed a pair of all-black sneakers and recognized them as Kaneki’s before wondering if that was too personal a thing to notice. Knowing that his best friend was married now infused everything between them an odd emotional taste that wasn’t entirely unpleasant. He really wished he’d been around for their wedding.  
Tsukiyama directed them toward the kitchen, which was populated with several staff members and a fully-stocked bar. In light of the mixed company, Tsukiyama had gone all out to make sure everyone who chose to be would be properly intoxicated that evening. The bar had a few hanging pots and pans above it, saving cabinet space. Said cabinets were decorated with ornate carvings depicting sea creatures both mythical and real in equal measures. The countertops were all heavy marble, polished to a shine that would have hurt had the interior lighting been more intense. Hide was so busy taking in the details of the room at eye level that he almost missed the shift to tile marking the transition between the entryway and the kitchen. The tile was pattered to look like rocks without any of the unevenness that actual rocks would present. How like the rich to take the aesthetic appeal of something and remove all the difficulties associated with it. Hide chuckled inwardly at the idea.  
“Feel free to have someone make you a drink. Make tonight a night to remember!” Tsukiyama declared, gesturing pointedly at the current barmaid. He smiled wryly. “Or a night you wish you hadn’t forgotten,” he added. His previous shark’s grin returned as the doorbell rang again. “Excuse me. Duty calls.” With a flourish, he sidled on past Marude, narrowly avoiding bumping the former CCG agent’s shoulder with his own, and went to answer the door.  
“I really don’t trust him,” Marude muttered under his breath, his expression making it look as though he had chewed on each word before spitting it out.  
A familiar rhythm of footsteps reached Hide’s ears. The blond had to consciously keep himself from whirling around too fast. Instead, Hide turned slowly, letting his hand come up to wave at his friend. “How goes it, man?”  
“Pretty good,” Kaneki responded, smiling. “You doing okay?”  
“Yeah,” Hide said. “You both look great, by the way.”  
“Thanks,” Touka responded from Kaneki’s side.  
At a mock-offended look from Tsukiyama, Hide added, an air of placating goofiness to his tone, “Of course our esteemed host for this evening looks good. It’s impossible for him to look anything less than stunning. He knows this and should by no means be offended when I compliment my friends’ appearance.”  
Tsukiyama chuckled before responding, “No offense was taken. Enjoy your evening. Do any of you need anything immediate?”  
“No, thank you.”  
“Then it seems I should check on some of the other guests. Adieu, for now.”  
“We’re going to go catch up with a few people. Do you wanna come with us?” Touka asked.  
“Not right this second. I think I’m going to take up Tsukiyama’s offer to take the edge off. Thank you, though,” Hide said. Marude had taken up a position in front of the refrigerator and was already cradling a small plastic cup filled with something reddish-pink. He was doing his best to make it look like he wasn’t hanging on their every word. Hide felt a warmth rise in his chest. Marude was still stuck in Dad Mode, though he had no biological children. At this point, he may as well have been Hide’s third dad. “Have fun!”  
“You, too!” Kaneki said.

It was entirely possible that Hide had had too much to drink. The music Tsukiyama had started playing after a quarter of the guests had arrived had faded in his ears to just a gentle thrum, the words indistinct and distant, the beat just enough to be something to dance to. He hadn’t intended for this to happen, not really. With everyone safe, though, he felt like a bit of relaxation was the least he wanted. Except it was as though his brain had operated at high alert just too long to let him drop his guard like he could before, hence the alcohol. Making a note not to let this become a habit, he sauntered toward where Kaneki was standing by the TV, talking with Touka and some people he’d gotten to know through becoming a Ghoul. Hide recognized Nishio Nishiki among the throng and, while he was over being attacked by the Ghoul, he still didn’t totally trust him. Yes, it was childish, he knew, but here he was, distrust clouding his judgment just the same. On one side, it was better to stay on guard, but on the other, it would be poor form for someone who’d convinced Ghouls and humans to work together to openly mistrust a Ghoul.  
Hide let his focus return to Kaneki. He grinned as an initial impulse formed in his head and developed into something irresistible and vaguely mischievous. He walked over to Kaneki and tapped his far shoulder. Kaneki swung his head around to see who’d tapped him and saw nothing but other partygoers, mingling around the kitchen, drinks and snack plates in their hands. Kaneki’s gaze turned to Hide and Hide suppressed a chuckle.  
“Yo,” Hide said, letting the laugh out. He’d tried so hard to keep that on the inside. Maybe he really had had too much to drink. “Y’know, for a guy who literally fought for years to try to protect everyone he cared about, you haven’t changed all that much.” He let his left arm flop onto Kaneki’s shoulders. “I mean, look at you. You still think the white-haired look is in style.” He let his other hand rise to touch the feature he’d mentioned. Touka chuckled to herself.  
The flash and artificial, showy shutter noise of the camera cut in, perfectly timed to capture the goofy glee on Hide’s face, the awkward expression on Kaneki’s face, and Touka’s amused smile reaching her eyes.  
The flash’s afterglow hadn’t faded from Hide’s eyes when Touka requested to see the photo. “The look on Kaneki’s face!” she exclaimed. “Banjo, this is perfect!” She allowed herself a laugh that made Kaneki’s heart warm, even though she was laughing at him.  
Hide patted Kaneki’s shoulder before removing his arm. “Never change, man.” His eyes gleamed, a mischievous glimmer lurking in the mirth there. “I mean, if you weren’t you, Touka wouldn’t have found you irresistible.”  
“I guess?” Kaneki said, blushing as he met Hide’s gaze. “I still don’t know what it is she sees in me.”  
“Buddy, really?” Hide asked, leaning forward and raising his finger to tick off his points on the fingers of his other hand. “You’re adorable, you really are. You’ve got the whole ‘clueless in love’ thing nailed. The fact that it’s not an act doubles how many points you score for it. You actually care enough to listen to people when they talk to you, as if they’ve got the secret to saving the world in their words alone. You’ve got the ‘strong silent type’ so pinned it’s never getting off the mat, so why bother trying? And your smile drives girls wild.” He looked down at his hand, noticing that he’d drunkenly used two fingers for one of his points. “Ah, look. I’m out of fingers to do this right already. What I’m trying to say is: what you see in her, the world or the universe, whatever it may be? She sees the same thing in you, buddy. And I think that’s beautiful.”  
“Hide?” Kaneki asked, flushing deeper than before. “For a second, I thought you weren’t talking from a girl’s perspective.”  
“Married people, by definition, are off the dating scene. Unless it’s with each other. Has been my policy since birth.”  
“Thank you, by the way. It always seems like you’re just reassuring me, like I’m not doing all that much to return your favors. I apologize for that. It’s not fair.”  
“Stop it,” Hide replied, the air of humor back in his voice. “You’re just way more insecure than I am. It’s fine.” Hide paused for a second, then said, “Maybe we should take the couch by the TV. I’m feeling a little woozy.”  
Kaneki sighed good-naturedly. “Mind if I invite Touka over to sit?”  
“Nope. Let her plop down next to us. It’ll make the question I wanna ask even more interesting.”  
Kaneki felt a surge of warmth at Hide’s invitation. He had no idea what Hide meant when he said “the question,” but he hoped the moment could last forever, or that he could keep its comfort for the rest of his days. After all they’d endured, it’d be a shame if this carefree set of hours passed into obscurity rather than some of the rougher times.  
Hide walked around to sit down on the far side of the couch. Kaneki took the middle and Touka curled up on Kaneki’s other side. Part of Hide initially recoiled at having so much of his body this close to Kaneki now; his old injuries throbbed, but he told that part to shut up—it hadn’t been Kaneki’s fault, not really. He wasn’t himself then. He was now. And a healthy Kaneki would never hurt him—as a matter of fact, Hide knew that half of the things Kaneki had did since becoming a Ghoul were engineered to keep him safe from the new pieces of his life, a fact that warmed his heart more than a little. Hide hoped none of the internal struggle had made it out onto his face in his drunken state.  
Judging by the calm way Kaneki’s hands found their way to his and Touka’s shoulders, it hadn’t. Or Kaneki had elected to ignore it so Hide didn’t have to open up about it during the party. Either way, Hide was grateful.  
“Okay, now, the question I wanted to ask,” Hide said, feeling a little better now that he had firmly planted himself on the sofa. He made a note to drink more water before going to sleep. “When it comes down to it, which classic movie monster or, if you’re feeling extra fighty, modern movie beast, would win in a fight? My vote? Mothra. Discuss.”  
At first, it was all Hide could do not to laugh himself silly. Kaneki and Touka’s reactions were everything he could have hoped. It made him realize, though, that even after all the stress of the Dragon War, he could still time a joke perfectly.  
The three settled into a comfortable conversation about which gigantic beast would actually win in a fight to the death.

 

“I still say Mothra would win,” Hide said, his eyes smiling mischievously, daring his friends to challenge him.  
“The most baffling thing about your argument is that you still keep pushing Mothra after I destroyed your points with an elder god,” Touka said, a grin on her lips. She took a sip of her coffee. “Your ‘but he needs cultists to wake up’ caveat is nothing.”  
“You’re disregarding the obvious champion,” Kaneki interjected. “The Balrog is significantly more powerful and not the only one of its kind. Yes, the Cthulu mythos is rife with sanity-shattering creatures, but that’s just it—Balrogs aren’t human and thus don’t have the same sanity rules. The fact that they’re monstrous fire-demons makes them even more resistant to Cthulu’s sanity-draining effects. If you read The Silmarillion—”  
At roughly that point, Hide lost control of his laughter and the sound drowned out Kaneki’s argument. “There’s the old Kaneki! That’s why I asked this question to start with. I wanted to see for sure if you were the same guy under it all. Same ol’ nerd.” He lifted his mask to sip from the coffee Touka had given him. The Dragon War and the resulting Dragon Orphans had increased the ambient RC cell count of the area to the point that some of the normal humans in the area had experienced odd, and not necessarily horrible, side effects. For Hide, it meant that some of the shallower wounds he’d sustained had healed. What had been most confusing was the way, cosmetically, the damage was undone. His lips and some of his teeth had not regenerated. However, his cheeks, throat, and collarbone injuries had regenerated to a point resembling their undamaged form. He was grateful for it, but also uneasy about it. This could put him at risk of worse RC mutations down the road, ones that could be life-threatening.  
Kaneki felt his cheeks color. “I’d like to think I’ve changed at least a little.”  
“A little, sure. Only out of necessity,” Touka said. Kaneki gave her a half-felt hurt look. “But, you know what they say about what happens the more things change.”  
Kaneki cracked a small smile at that. “True enough.” He paused for a moment before following the statement up with, “You guys have become some really strong, impressive people. I couldn’t be more grateful to have you here with me.”  
Hide patted his shoulder. “Happy to be here.” He adjusted his mask and took another sip of his coffee. The sound of fingers tapping on a screen grabbed his attention and he took a second to appreciate the fact that he hadn’t actually managed to ruin his hearing with his music habits when he was younger. He glanced over at Touka to see her paging through the digital album, skipping over a few pictures Kaneki had taken of her candidly as soon as he had gotten a new phone. Hide chuckled softly at an image of Touka looking somehow perturbed and loving in equal parts from when she was still pregnant with Ichika. The expression on her face had probably come from being just the right combination of tired and grateful for her husband’s presence. Hide hadn’t fully realized he’d redirected his gaze to her face until she settled on something that dimmed her smile a little.  
“You didn’t tell me this made it in here,” she said, her tone not quite accusatory, but making it evident that she didn’t like this photo as much.  
“I thought you looked cute. You’re relaxed. It doesn’t happen too often.” Kaneki scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “If you don’t like it, we can delete it.”  
“No. It’s fine.”  
“I thought you liked my photo,” Hide said, the playful air of his words destroying all likelihood that the sentence could be taken accusingly.  
“It’s good enough,” Touka replied, her voice low and airy, a sure sign that she was already considering the emotional baggage that had led up to the moment Hide had grabbed the photo. “I just remembered how stressful that night started out, though.”

 

The early evening air was chilly without being terribly unpleasant. The trio walked along the sidewalk clad in various hoodies and jackets, comfortable enough to continue their stroll indefinitely. They’d been out for a monthly catch-up dinner and were technically walking back to their cars, but had stopped to window-shop every so often. Despite the light air of the evening, Hide could tell that she was upset from the way Touka’s shoulders slumped ever so slightly and her neck seemed predisposed to a skyward tilt as though she was about to beseech a higher being. That said nothing of the wrung-out appearance Kaneki had put together that evening. Even that had taken a toll on him. When they’d arrived at the restaurant, Hide had had to gently tell him that he’d missed a button on his shirt.  
“So, how’re you holdin’ up?” Hide asked, his eyes carrying the slight, hopeful smile his masked facial features couldn’t quite convey.  
Touka winced. Hide’s brow furrowed, a sparkle of concern in his eyes. “It’s…” She sighed. “Ichika’s doing okay. We’ve got support coming out of our ears when it comes to taking care of her, but… We’re still having problems with our landlord. We had a small problem with our shower. When we called him in to fix the leak, he was sour about it and took his sweet time. Let alone the part where he keeps trying to hike the rent. And money’s tight right now. And with the school year coming up—we’re pretty much out of funds.”  
“We don’t want to sound ungrateful. I wasn’t expecting most of us to survive the Dragon War,” Kaneki said, an awkward smile appearing on his face. “But school supplies aren’t cheap. Notebooks are, for sure, but the rest of it…” He ran a hand through his hair.  
Hide noticed the dark circles under his friend’s eyes anew. He let out a brief, raspy chuckle. “I never doubted you’d get out of there for a second! Especially with someone like Touka waiting for you on the other end! You’d have to pull through if you wanted to keep her from going in there and trying to find you!” If Hide was being truly fair, he had been terrified of losing Kaneki in the oviduct. He hadn’t doubted his friend, necessarily, but he would have had to be exceptionally foolish for the enormity of the situation to go over his head. All things considered, it was a wonder the blond hadn’t freaked out a little more over Kaneki’s journey into the oviduct’s depths. “If you need help with anything, let me know,” Hide said, his voice taking on a more serious tone. “I’m just taking care of myself, y’know. Seriously. Even if it’s just something simple.” Maybe someday he’d find someone nice and settle down. At the moment, he didn’t think it was terribly likely.  
Touka allowed herself a small smile. “Thanks, Hide. I think we’ll be okay.”  
“You sure? I mean, we could just make your landlord disappear.” Hide chuckled, indicating that he didn’t actually mean what he’d said. Touka and Kaneki joined in his laughter.  
Hide’s phone went off while they were still laughing, quieting them. He pulled it out to respond to the text. “One sec. Sorry.” He tapped the screen a few times with his thumbs before saying, “Okay, pick it right back up.”  
“Work?” Kaneki cut in first.  
“Yeah! They wanna send me to America next!” Hide didn’t bother hiding the excitement in his tone.  
“I hope it’s everything you dreamed of when we were kids!” Even as tired as he was, Kaneki matched Hide’s enthusiasm. Hide made eye contact and noticed that his friend was displaying an infectious grin. A glance at Touka on Kaneki’s other side confirmed that she was smiling too, however a touch more reservedly. She was always the type to let others show their emotions instead of getting worked up herself. Unless she was angry. She was never shy about that.  
“Thanks, Kaneki,” Hide said, wishing he could smile for real. His phone was still in his hand. The little grins on his friends’ faces spoke volumes to him. His heart fluttered a little in his chest.  
“I can’t really think of anyone who could help us get through this better. Touka’s been a rock for me. And you; you’ve been like a lamp for the dark times. I think Touka’s right. We’ll be okay. Somehow.”  
Hide didn’t warn them, instead snapping a candid picture, capturing the look of pleased relief on Touka’s face and the calm, loving smile that spread from Kaneki’s mouth to his eyes. He’d had his flash off to preserve his friends’ night vision, but a street light had made all the difference for his phone’s camera, thankfully.  
“Wh—” The question died on Kaneki’s lips as Hide flipped his phone around to show him the photo.  
“You two were too cute not to grab a pic!” Hide winked. “Look at this one when you’re stressed later. I can send you a printout or copy of the file if you want it for your album. Or refrigerator. I dunno what criteria you base your refrigerator-worthy judgment on.”  
“Thanks, Hide,” Touka said, her initial spurt of annoyance flagging when she saw the picture. It was actually kind of thoughtful. Remembering a simpler time had gotten her through some particularly rough spots—like when Kaneki had been missing only to resurface without his memories and the pain that had wracked her every time he looked at her without seeing her. She had a feeling that, somehow, Hide knew exactly what the gesture meant to her. Hell, he’d gone through the exact same thing, albeit on a different level.  
“Yes, thank you,” Kaneki echoed. “It’s a great photo. Send us lots of photos from America, okay?”  
“You bet!” Hide said. “And good luck with your landlord!” The three made their way through the parking lot they’d reached without realizing it. After a brief goodbye in the form of a hug, they separated, Hide going alone and Kaneki and Touka taking their car.

 

“You always know what to say,” Kaneki said, a warm little smile on his lips and a glassy look in his eyes.  
“Me? Nah. I improvise most of this stuff. Half the time, I don’t know if it’s going to be helpful until you respond,” Hide said, chuckling, his left index finger positioning itself at his cheekbone and scraping the nail along his skin.  
“Stop selling yourself short.” Touka pulled her legs up onto the couch so that she was sitting cross-legged on it, a position that wasn’t necessarily comfortable for long stretches of time, but comfortable enough for the moment. She took a sip of her rapidly-disappearing coffee and continued, “Your empathic link with Kaneki is almost comic book grade.”  
“Your flattery never ceases,” Hide said, mock-bowing. “Kaneki picked a good one.”  
“I like to think we picked each other,” Touka said as Kaneki raised his hand to interject in response to Hide’s statement.  
“Yeah. That,” Kaneki said.  
“That’s fair enough. You probably wouldn’t have gotten together if it wasn’t a mutual choice thing.” Hide took a moment to drink more of his coffee. He stopped when he heard Touka laughing so hard he thought she was going to crack a rib.  
The image in front of her, the probable cause of Touka’s outburst, was of the three of them sitting on the couch, much like they were currently. However, they were joined by an exceptionally happy Ichika, and all but the aforementioned child were asleep. Ichika had started coloring while her parents and Hide slept on the couch, exhausted from a day of touring a museum with her. She was lovingly adding hearts and kitty whiskers to her father’s sleeping face. Touka wheezed, tears streaming down her face from laughing. She wiped them away and repositioned her legs.  
“Oh, that’s just unfair,” Kaneki groaned good-naturedly. “You didn’t tell me Ka-neko made it in here.”  
“I feel like the real shame is that you stuck with that pun as this photo’s title.”  
“Harsh,” Kaneki said, chuckling.  
“That was one of my best puns! And to think you two would disparage it so.” Hide put a hand to his chest, acting as though what Touka had said were a sword that had caused him physical pain. “See if I ever share one with you again!”  
“You will. You can’t resist hearing us groan under the sheer awfulness,” Kaneki said, laughing.  
Touka smiled, cherishing the sound of Kaneki’s laugh.

 

In their defense, it had been a full day. Waking up at seven to meet with Hide for breakfast and coffee by eight before going to the museum had felt like an undertaking when they’d discussed it. In actual practice, it felt even more arduous. Ichika had been too excited to sleep, screeching about how Uncle Hide was going to show her all his favorite exhibits, how she was going to see real dinosaurs! Kaneki couldn’t begrudge her for her enthusiasm, but from the way he and Touka treated their coffees as though they were the only things keeping them from immediately meeting the Grim Reaper, it was evident that Hide would need to take point on today’s adventures.  
Hide thought that was just fine. After all, his niece was an absolute joy. He made goofy faces at her throughout breakfast, keeping her entertained with silly dad jokes that made Kaneki groan and Touka shoot him death glares. Of course, that just made every joke that much funnier to the four-year-old. Once they finished and paid, Ichika got so excited she seemed physically incapable of taking things at the pace the crowded line at the museum’s entrance demanded.  
Kaneki and Touka each put a hand on one of her shoulders in an attempt to calm her, still tired enough that it was the highest function they could manage. Hide smiled at them, letting his eyes carry the bulk of the expression and his goofy emoji mask took care of the rest. “Hey, Ichika,” Hide said, taking a knee in front of her, wincing when one of his knees popped on the way down. “Whoops. Uncle Hide’s breaking his knees. Don’t worry! He’ll be fine!” he said, earning giggles from the girl. “Anyway, kiddo, can I let you in on a secret?”  
Ichika nodded enthusiastically. Secrets were her favorite. She was the best at keeping them.  
“If you’re nice and quiet and stay in line like a good girl, Uncle Hide’ll let you get something cool from the gift shop. Does that sound good?”  
Ichika’s eyes lit up and she had trouble suppressing the squeal bubbling up from her throat. “Thanks, Uncle Hide!”  
“You’re welcome, kiddo. Remember: be a good little girl, okay?”  
“I will!”  
Hide stood again, slowly. Ten years ago, he would’ve said twenty-nine was young. Now, with his joints complaining more and more from varying degrees of crappy form during athletics in his younger days, he’d say he was lucky to have held up this long. The thought drew a wistful grin to a face that couldn’t support it. At least Ichika had stopped bobbing around the people in front of them. Hide noticed that Kaneki’s hand had started stroking Ichika’s hair softly, the kind of motion one engages in absently, but still tender enough to keep a smile in the blonde’s eyes. It was endearing to see his friend that comfortable with someone, even if that someone was his daughter and it’d be odd if he wasn’t.  
Ichika waited patiently for the remainder of the time they spent in line, requiring very few reminders to behave. Eventually, out of a combination of his own boredom and a spur-of-the-moment decision, Hide managed to engage Ichika with a game of “I Spy,” which ultimately increased her enthusiasm for the museum as a whole.  
Hide flashed Touka and Kaneki a winning grin that Kaneki had no trouble paying back in kind, despite the lack of sleep souring his mood. Touka, however, was a harder sell and Hide made a note to get her a black coffee from the museum’s café. It’d be worth even the exorbitant fee to get it there if Touka’s mood improved as a result.  
Tickets in hand, they proceeded through the shorter, faster line into the museum proper. The woman checking tickets smiled at Ichika. “And what are you most excited to see, young lady?” she asked. A more cynical individual than Kaneki would assume that she was just trying to score points with the child’s parents in a not-exactly-subtle ploy to get them to come back frequently. Kaneki, however, took the gesture as legitimately friendly. Even despite all he’d been through, he wanted to believe in the good of others.  
“All the dinosaurs!” Ichika responded enthusiastically. “My uncle, Hide, told me all about them!”  
“Is that so? And is he here with your parents today?”  
“Yep! He’s the one in the mask. He wears it because he got hurt by a Ghoul a while ago.”  
Kaneki and Touka stiffened. Hide had to focus hard not to take a sharp breath. Even then, he almost failed. To be fair, they hadn’t told Ichika that that information was a secret best kept away from strangers. Hopefully, the woman would decide that it wasn’t polite to pry.  
“Oh, dear! How terrible!” Her attention turned to Hide. “My apologies. That must have been truly horrifying.” While her words were well-intentioned, their tone did nothing to ease the sudden ache in Hide’s chest. She smiled delicately as her next sentence came to her. “I’m glad you’re here with us, though. Sharing dinosaurs with your niece must be an absolutely extraordinary experience. I bet she’s happy to have you around.”  
Hide smiled, letting his eyes do the real work behind the expression yet again. “Thank you,” he said, pretending her initial reaction hadn’t hurt quite so much. “I’m betting it will be. She’s quite extraordinary herself.” When talking about Ichika, his voice naturally brightened, even around the raspy, strained sound of his regenerated vocal cords. The woman had tried not to be taken aback when he’d spoken, but Hide could tell she was. Hide could always tell. He took a deep breath through his nose, steeling his resolve to keep from letting on exactly how much it still hurt when people did that. Just when he thought he’d moved past his injuries, someone apologized or flinched, making him feel the ghost of their aches again. Part of him was angry—he didn’t want their pity, didn’t want anyone’s pity; it couldn’t heal the damage. Nothing could. Rather, nothing that he was willing to submit to would. He glanced down at Ichika and found the strength to keep smiling. He looked back at the woman behind the counter, suddenly unsure of whether he’d thanked her for her service. Deciding to err on the side of caution, he said, “Thank you. Have a wonderful day.” He closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, a common indicator he used for mirth more and more of late.  
Kaneki and Touka had been stunned into silence by their daughter’s declaration regarding Hide. After they’d passed her, Kaneki couldn’t stop himself. “Hide,” he said, “how… often does that happen?”  
The smile in Hide’s eyes faltered and his shoulders slumped so slightly as to be hardly noticeable before he forced cheer back into himself. “Not too often, really. Stop beating yourself up over it, man.” He’d said it quietly, leaning in to Kaneki in an attempt to keep the truth from Ichika for as long as possible. It’d actually been something Hide suggested. Ichika wouldn’t know it was her father who’d destroyed Hide’s face until she was old enough to understand the circumstances. It wouldn’t do to immediately ruin her relationship with her father, Hide had rationalized.  
“Hide…”  
Hide scratched his cheekbone, smiling with his eyes. “It’s okay, Kaneki. Really. It doesn’t bother me.”  
Kaneki let the ghost of a smile take form on his lips. “Okay.” He made a mental note to talk to Hide later, preferably alone.  
Meanwhile, Touka had stepped forward to keep a hand on Ichika’s shoulder as she tried to dart away toward the nearest exhibit.  
“Oops! ‘Chika’s taking off!” Hide said, redirecting Kaneki’s attention and following up on his own exclamation with suitable action to give it more influence.  
Kaneki took the bait, hurrying off after Hide. The dinosaur exhibit was fairly close by and its line was moving along smoothly enough. Hide grabbed Ichika’s shoulder and pointed out the dinosaurs painted on the sides of the entryway. “’Chika, d’you remember their names?” he asked, eagerly awaiting her answers. Ichika was still considering the question when Kaneki caught up to the rest of them.  
“That one’s… Iguanodon. And that’s Rexy!”  
“Very nice!” Hide replied, taking deep breaths to conceal his urge to gulp down air. Touka grinned, genuinely happy to see her daughter so thrilled. Hide wondered idly if this meant he should cancel the mental note to get her a coffee after the exhibit.  
“Thanks, Uncle Hide!” Ichika squealed back.  
Kaneki chuckled. “Let’s head in. It’s our turn.”  
They walked along the exhibit’s winding hall, tracking the evolutionary path between the beginning of the world to the time of the dinosaurs. About halfway through the section devoted to prehistoric fish, Ichika started getting impatient.  
After the sixth call of “When will we see the dinosaurs?!” Touka finally said, “Soon, honey.” She looked to Hide, a silent plea in her expression. Help. I need backup. I don’t know enough about this stuff to get her to relax. Alas, Hide was their resident dinosaur expert. Neither Kaneki nor Touka had had any real interest in creatures that weren’t actively trying to kill them in years.  
“Yeah. Ichika, look at me, sweetie,” Hide said, crouching to look his niece in the eyes. He was relieved when his joints didn’t pop this time. “Remember how in that one book I brought over it took a long time to get to the dinosaurs and you really wanted to skip ahead, but I told you to be patient so you could appreciate all the cool creatures that weren’t dinosaurs, but shared the time period with them, or came before they did?” Ichika nodded. “This looks like it’s like that. So, let’s appreciate all these funky little dudes.”  
Ichika nodded again, this time with gravity seemingly inconsistent with her youth. “Okey dokey,” she said.  
Thank you, Touka mouthed as Hide stood back up. Hide winked. Kaneki grinned. It was funny—he could take on some of the strongest Ghouls and Investigators back when both were threats, but the simple factoids about dinosaurs and their prehistoric ilk were difficult to navigate. Again, he thanked the powers that be for Hide and his seemingly limitless capacity to make others happy through tracking their interests. Ichika may have attributed her love of dinosaurs to Hide, but the initial fascination had cropped up after she and her parents had caught a revived showing of The Land Before Time at the theater. Hide had readily supplied Ichika with his old dinosaur books—from when he himself had nursed a healthy dinosaur phase and tried to pull Kaneki in with him. It hadn’t worked.  
When they got to the dinosaurs, Ichika’s squeak of delight was so loud Kaneki covered his ears before lightly shushing her. “Inside voice, sweetie.” There was a quiet form of joy on his face, though.  
“Sorry! I’m just so e’cited!” Ichika said, wiggling in glee.  
“I see that,” Hide replied, amusement evident in his voice. “So, so e’cited! C’mon. Let’s look at these bad boys.”  
Kaneki took Touka’s hand and followed the two dinosaur fanatics around the room. It was hard to remember a time when he was happier, so he elected to stop trying and just enjoy the moment’s glow. As long as his daughter was having a good time, that was all that mattered.  
“Kaneki! They’ve got a Utahraptor skeleton! And it’s ninety-percent complete! Do you know how unlikely it is that we’d find one with that many bones intact?!”  
Kaneki chuckled and walked over to the display Hide was standing next to and put his right arm around his friend’s shoulders. “Is this the one that you tried to convince me was the coolest when we were kids?”  
“Yes!” Hide exclaimed, almost vibrating with excitement. “God, it’s the coolest thing I’ve ever looked at. Ichika, who was holding Hide’s right hand, swooped their hands forward and backward rhythmically.  
“Yoo-tah-rahp-tor,” Ichika said, sounding the word out for herself. She chuckled. “It sounds funny. Yoo-tah-rahp-tor.”  
“It’s named for where it was found and how it looks. It was found in Utah, in America, and it’s got a lot of the same pieces as a bird of prey does today. Hence the ‘raptor’ bit,” Hide said, turning his head to look at Ichika now. “She’s always been my favorite. I tried to get your papa interested in her when we were little. He didn’t want anything to do with her. But it got him out of the house a little.”  
Touka stepped over to stand with the rest of them for a moment before murmuring, “Did you guys take a look at that one over there? The one with all the plates on its back? It’s pretty cool. Though, the plaque said it wasn’t that smart. Had a brain the size of a walnut.”  
“Shh. Ichika likes that one. That’s Stegosaurus. We’re saving her for last,” Hide said. Ichika nodded at her mother.  
“You do realize that there were males of these species, right?” Touka asked.  
“Ichika likes thinking of them as all female. Makes her feel special.”  
“I do!” the child declared. “They’re way cuter then! And if I’m a girl, why can’t they be girls, too?”  
Kaneki chuckled. “Can’t argue with that logic,” he said.  
“It’d be bold to assume you can win an argument with Ichika over dinosaurs. She’s so cutting.” Hide laughed.

After Ichika had had a decent amount of time to take in the Stegosaurus specimen the museum had obtained, Hide stretched his arms over his head, bent at the elbow to keep from hitting anyone nearby and suggested a trip to the food court. Touka took his suggestion as though it were the best thing she’d ever heard.  
Kaneki nodded, considering how much coffee would probably help him regain some hold on life. As if he could see exactly what Kaneki was thinking, Hide started off in the direction of the food court, chuckling at the tired parents. Raising a child took a kind of energy few actually had. Many thought they possessed it, but upon having a child around the house all the time gave a person an appreciation for things not frequently ruminated on. Hide admired them for being able to stick it out. Sure, it was taking them a village to do it, but they were doing a good job of it. “Sounds like a good idea,” he responded when Hide asked him how he’d feel about pursuing coffee. With the museum’s ambient noise level at a natural high, rather than straining himself by shouting, Hide had asked both Kaneki and Touka separately, at a range that was close enough that the sound of his voice would carry effectively.  
Hide grabbed Ichika’s hand, the girl more than willing to take his in return—Kaneki had to wonder briefly if it wasn’t Ichika’s idea to begin with, and thus tethered, the happy little family moved toward the food court and the blessed embrace of extra caffeine. With the advent of Ghoul-friendly synthetic food and drink, for the first time, Kaneki was able to share a pastry with Touka in public—a pastry she would actually enjoy. They broke off a few pieces to share with Ichika, but she was far too interested in her own synthetic blueberry muffin to pay their bite-sized cinnamon swirl pieces much attention. Getting the synthetic food up to par with the taste of human food was a process that Kaneki had volunteered to help with in the months after the Dragon War first ended. It was initially difficult to gauge simply because of how much time had passed since he had last been able to taste human food properly.  
Granted, the bulk of the testing had fallen into Nishio Nishiki’s lap at the behest of his girlfriend, and if she got her way, eventual wife, Kimi. Kaneki enjoyed being able to help human-Ghoul relations in any way he could, though. Overall, it was a process he was proud to be a part of, especially seeing the effect it had on his daughter. In the early days, they’d had to feed her the softer portions of organs, blended down finely into a mushy Ghoulish baby food. The first time she’d tasted something that wasn’t human flesh and enjoyed it had truly been a milestone. Kaneki smiled at his daughter. Touka smiled at him. Hide gave Ichika a goofy expression before taking a bite of his own slice of lemon loaf cake. The blond was deep in a story about how he’d persuaded Kaneki to go to the museum when they were kids, when the museum had been so much smaller and boasted less in the way of general exhibits and more in the way of dinosaur skeletons.  
It might as well have been paradise.

The rest of the museum paled in comparison to Ichika’s eyes. They’d seen an exhibit about how natural disasters happened coupled with some of the preventative measures people took to keep loss to a minimum, a small fairy castle, and an intriguing robotics exhibit. It was still fun, but not quite as enchanting as the prehistoric beasts she’d seen. Hide had a fair assessment of what sort of item she’d like from the gift shop on the way out. He smiled inwardly, watching as Ichika took in an advertisement for another exhibit. This one boasted baby chicks as its main selling point—if it could be called that; it was a free exhibit, after all. Judging by the face Ichika made at the poster, it was of enough interest after viewing the fate of the dinosaurs that she’d want a look at it regardless.  
Kaneki took that moment to pause his conversation with Touka—Hide hadn’t followed it simply because there was so much to see and their marital bliss made his heart ache in a way he’d rather not acknowledge. “D’you want to see the chicks, then?” Kaneki asked her. Hide’s own thoughts had made him miss the part where Ichika had communicated her desire to her father. A glance down told Hide that Ichika’s little hand was firmly clasped around a wad of her father’s pant leg, which was likely instrumental in her request to see the chicks.  
An enthusiastic “Yes!” met Kaneki’s question and the family moved to make their actions suit the child’s demands.  
Ichika’s interest in the chicks was shared by a disconcertingly large number of other museum-goers. Kaneki chuckled at her dismayed little pout as soon as it was clear that she’d be unable to see without being hoisted up. Kaneki let her sit on his shoulders. Touka kissed her cheek during her ascent, prompting giggles from the girl. It was sweet, really, but Hide realized that what he actually wanted was to look at the rest of the exhibit. The baby chicks might have been the draw, but the exhibit was, in reality, about genetics.  
With all the advancement in technology, learning a little bit about how much genetic research could mean was a big draw. He let himself explore the section of the exhibit dedicated to how genetic manipulation could eradicate disease. It was fascinating. To think that the key to saving lives might be so easy to reach—except, the small block of text to Hide’s left read, the human genome still needed mapping. Relatively easy, Hide supposed. Like most things, it’d take time.

Kaneki scanned the crowd around the chick enclosure, panic settling in the pit of his stomach. His heart was pounding and he couldn’t get it to stop. He managed to keep his voice steady as he asked Touka, “Where’s Hide?” Smell was unreliable—someone in the crowd had a veritable smokescreen of perfume on. Otherwise, it would have been simple to locate him.  
“I don’t know. I don’t see him,” Touka responded, a similar fear rising in her chest. Her height wasn’t doing her any favors as she scanned the crowd for even a glimpse of golden hair that could belong to their missing friend.  
“Hey, Ichika?” Kaneki said.  
“Yeah, Papa?”  
“Let’s step away from the chickies for a second, okay? I need you to help me find Uncle Hide. You can see better from up there than I can down here.”  
“Okay!” Ichika said. “Like hide-and-seek!” It was one of her favorite games. After a few minutes of Kaneki turning slowly around so Ichika could take in all the faces she could, she shouted, “There he is!” Though, according to Kaneki and Touka’s anxiety, it had taken Ichika hours to say it. Ichika pointed to where Hide was greedily soaking in facts. Kaneki looked up to see where she was pointing before walking in that direction. It was all he could do to avoid running. Touka kept pace with him.  
“Find something more enthralling than baby chicks?” Touka asked wryly, cleanly covering the concern she’d demonstrated earlier.  
“Yeah. Stuff that might help people later. Some that’s helping people now. It’s incredible! It almost makes me want to start mapping the entire human genome myself. That’s not even including the regenerative capabilities of other species.” The last sentence was quieter. “Some lizards can regrow certain limbs. Tails, legs,” he faltered. “It’s insane. Some people I got close to when I was working at the CCG lost loved ones, friends, family… or they lost bits of themselves to what they thought was just. I’m not saying they were necessarily right, but they don’t deserve to have their quality of life tanked.” He let a wistful smile grace his eyes. “It’d hurt so much less.”  
“Hide,” Kaneki said, his own guilt making him sure his friend was actually lamenting his own losses. “I wish it worked that way. I’m so—“  
Hide cut him off with a raised hand. “Sorry. I was… that wasn’t about you,” Hide said. He cocked his head at a jaunty angle and squeezed his eyes shut, in exaggerated mirth. “Did you enjoy the little chickies, Ichika?”  
“Yeah!” The girl answered from her perch.  
“Good!” Hide said, letting his heart fill with the child’s joy. “They’re kinda like little dinosaurs themselves, aren’t they?” He asked, letting himself take a saurian stance and stomping around playfully. Ichika giggled, mirroring his movements. He laughed and squatted before her. “Is there anything else you wanna see today?” he asked her.  
“I don’t think so.”  
“How about we go outside this exhibit and take a look at the map to make sure?”  
“Yeah!”  
Hide led the way toward the exhibit’s exit. After running through the list of exhibits on the map, they elected to leave. Hide looked at Ichika, still comfortably stationed on Kaneki’s shoulders. “Hey, Ichika, you remember what Uncle Hide was gonna do if you were good?”  
“Yep! Gift shop!!” Ichika said, pointing forward like a character from one of the animes Hide had enjoyed in his youth and still did, if truth be told. Kaneki and Touka chuckled. Biology be damned, Hide was most certainly her uncle.  
Hide let out a more reserved laugh than he was expecting and said, “That’s right! Yo, Kaneki, let’s get your daughter something nice.”  
“Something nice,” in Ichika’s very specific definition, meant an adorable purple plush stegosaurus. Hide chuckled as he paid the cashier. Ichika had good taste. Personally, he would have gone for the little gold and brown Utahraptor with black, leopard-like spots. But as far as herbivores went, stegosaurus was pretty classy.  
“Here you go!” Hide said, passing the bag along to Ichika. It really was no surprise when she removed the plush from the bag and discarded the thin plastic contraption. Hide picked up the bag and pocketed it.  
Kaneki thanked Hide again for buying off their daughter’s good behavior, a sentiment Touka echoed loudly, with an emphasizing nod.

The drive home was fairly uneventful. Ichika fell asleep in her car seat. She awakened just before they pulled up to the apartment Kaneki and Touka were raising her in.  
“D’you want to come in for a little while, Hide? Yomo’s coming over a little later to visit Ichika and go over a few things,” Touka asked.  
“Sure,” Hide replied. He didn’t exactly want to go home yet and Ichika’s yelp of enthusiasm regarding his decision melted his heart.  
“We’ve got a little time before Yomo’s supposed to come over,” Kaneki said, putting his phone back into his pocket after confirming just that.  
“Okay,” Hide said, unbuckling his seatbelt and undoing Ichika’s restraints. He opened the door and took her hand before exiting the vehicle as Kaneki and Touka did the same.  
The apartment was as clean as could be expected from a young family with a four-year-old, which is to say that the number of toys littering the floor was minimal and the dishes in the sink were technically clean, just not put away yet. Hide laughed inwardly. They were doing pretty well for themselves. Good.  
“Papa, can I watch The Land Before Time again?” Ichika asked, planting herself on the floor in front of the TV, her new stegosaurus taking a position in her lap, facing the TV as well. Her seemingly uncontrolled flop placed her between the coffee table and the television, a not entirely bad location for a small, limber individual.  
“I’m gonna make some cocoa. Do you guys want any?” Touka asked Hide and Kaneki. When met with the affirmative, including a loud shriek of glee from Ichika, she walked off to the small kitchen, leaving Hide and Kaneki to get Ichika’s movie up and running.  
Once that was accomplished, they leaned back and relaxed. Hide tucked his hands behind his head. “That was a lot of fun,” he said.  
“Yeah. I’m glad.” Kaneki smiled.  
Touka walked in with two mugs of cocoa, handed one to both Ichika and Hide. She received a cute little “Thanks, mama!” and a more reserved “Thank you” for her labor as she went to retrieve the last two mugs. Kaneki’s thank you, once she returned with her precious cargo, involved a kiss. Were he a more foolish man, Hide would have guessed Kaneki was trying to one-up him. It was clear, however, that he just loved his wife that much. Their positioning on the sofa left Kaneki in the middle, Hide to his right, and Touka to his left. Together, they sipped their cocoa, watching Ichika play and watch her movie in a truly advanced display of multitasking.  
Sadly, the cocoa did little to keep the adults awake. If anything, it added a cozy level of comfort to the already soothing seating arrangement on the couch. Slowly, they succumbed to the accumulated tiredness of a day fighting through crowds. Ichika tired of playing with her toys and grabbed a coloring book and box of markers. The sound of the markers rasping against the paper filled the immediate area. Ichika hummed to herself as animated dinosaurs squabbled amongst themselves. As things were, she didn’t hear the turn of a key in the lock.  
The door opened to reveal Yomo, who took in the scene with a bemused expression on his goateed face. “Hi, Ichika. Did everyone fall asleep on you?”  
“Yeah. But I’ve got colors and dinosaurs!”  
“You sure do,” Yomo responded, chuckling lightly. He glanced at the TV, where the animated dinosaurs were now crossing a particularly treacherous-looking river of lava with no regard for the poisonous gas they were breathing. Ah, fiction.  
He seated himself in the chair to the side of the coffee table that was closest to the door. He didn’t want to immediately wake up the adults in the room simply because he wasn’t sure when they’d be able to get a decent night’s sleep in the near future. Before long, he realized that he wasn’t really doing much other than watch the movie. It wasn’t so much that he let himself get sucked into the kids’ movie, but rather that it was the only eye-catching thing in the room aside from Ichika—and she was coloring, occasionally looking up and quoting bits of the movie, ostensibly her favorite moments. However, when her little voice came from a location quite different from its last position, Yomo had to admit he was a little jarred. He looked in her direction, to see her quite engrossed in adding kitty whiskers to her father’s already heart-and-star-riddled face.  
Yomo suppressed laughter as he pulled out his phone. In the past, he wasn’t the type to take pictures, but with the way life had calmed down after the Dragon War and a cute child like Ichika around, he couldn’t afford to pass up the opportunity. She’d given him hope for the future, after all. When things inevitably got difficult, as life was wont to be, he’d want something to remind him exactly what he was living for. Something told him Kaneki would want the same. He pressed the “button” on his phone’s screen to take a photo, getting a perfect angle of Hide, Touka, Kaneki, and Ichika on the couch. Ichika was halfway through the second set of whiskers, a huge grin on her face.  
“Okay, Ichika, stop drawing on Papa,” Yomo said, putting a hand on the child’s shoulder.  
“But I’m not done yet! I’ve gotta finish his nosie!” Ichika’s protest was edging dangerously close to a whine.  
Yomo paused, considering his options. Hopefully, he could persuade her not to degenerate into a screaming teary mess. The last thing he wanted for his friends was to have them awaken to a crying child. “If I let you continue, not a word about it later, okay?” His expression was stern, but his voice carried a jaunty, carefree tone that would likely have shocked the sleeping Ghouls had they been awake. As things were, Yomo was enjoying the chance to be something other than the hulking, silent muscle wall he’d been in the past.  
“Okay!” Ichika said, grinning quietly and miming zipping her lips before turning to finish her masterpiece.  
Yomo woke Kaneki only after taking a picture of Ichika’s finished artwork.

 

Hide grinned with his eyes, turning his head to look at Kaneki. “Dude, I woke up to laughter and got a glimpse of your face! That was hilarious.”  
“Didn’t you use some of my makeup wipes to clean all that off?” Touka asked, just a hint of accusation in her tone.  
“I panicked and forgot her markers were washable,” Kaneki said sheepishly. Hide’s laugh filled the room. Touka sighed before chuckling a little.  
“That’s so like you,” Hide said. He paused a moment before adding, “I can’t believe we’re old enough to be seeing your daughter off to college already, but here we are. You guys were awesome parents.” He took another pause here, just long enough for them to question his usage of “were” instead of “are” before saying, “And you’re still nailing it.”  
“And you’re a pretty awesome godfather.”  
“Could’ve gone without opening the graduation party with ‘You come here, on the night of my goddaughter’s graduation,’ though,” Touka said, a grin on her lips to compliment her wry, tongue-in-cheek tone. “It really didn’t go with the atmosphere of the rest of the party.”  
“It was funny! I was contractually obligated to do it!”  
“By Ichika?” Kaneki asked, continuing his ribbing.  
Hide crossed his arms playfully. “My lips are sealed. Contractually.”  
“It was Ichika,” Touka said.  
“She would never.”  
“Methinks the lad doth protest too much,” Kaneki said, grinning widely and raising his coffee to his mouth to take a sip.  
Hide mimed zipping his lips shut, locking the zipper in place in what seemed like a breach of logic at first impression, and tossing the key away. Kaneki and Touka laughed. Hide jokingly scrabbled for the nonexistent key and “found” it, unlocking and unzipping his lips. “Have I mentioned recently how much I love you two? Because, in case it wasn’t clear, the exact amount is ‘a lot.’”  
Neither of the Ghouls tried to tell him “a lot” wasn’t an exact amount. Instead, they both set down their coffee mugs and went in for a hug. Hide returned the gesture. After several years, it no longer freaked him out to be this close to Kaneki’s mouth. It was a small victory. He’d take it.  
“Here’s to us. And to getting Ichika through college. If any trio can be a decent support group, it’s us,” Hide said.  
“Yeah. Thanks,” Kaneki said. “For getting us this far.”  
“A lot of that was you guys, to be fair.”  
“Take the compliment, you dork,” Touka said.  
Hide smiled with his eyes. “Thanks.”


End file.
